Moonsville Collective invites everyone to the party

Moonsville Collective treats everyone like family. After handshakes and warm hugs, we found a quiet corner of the outdoor patio at the Observatory in Santa Ana for our interview last Tuesday, shortly before the band took the stage on the fourth night of the ongoing OC Music Awards Showcase Series.

Minutes into our chat, I had already been welcomed into the inner circle and offered a position as kazoo player at the next backyard barbeque.

The sextet, with members from all over O.C. and into La Mirada, formed during summer 2011 after participating in numerous just-for-fun sessions at the Costa Mesa home of upright bassist Seth Richardson. The folk-geared string group, which also incorporates elements of blues, country and straight-up Dixie rock, was inspired by Richardson’s father, Dan, who plays guitar, banjo and mandolin in the band.

The rest of the crew – drummer Drew Martin, guitarist Corey Adams, fiddle player Bill Bell and vocalist/guitarist Ryan Welch – recall joining in by picking up whatever instruments were within arm’s reach, be it old washboards, ceramic jugs or one of the stringed items in the elder Richardson’s vast and varied collection.

“It was the music my grandfather was into and the music my uncle had taught my dad to play,” Seth Richardson says. “I had played in different rock-type bands with these guys and knew them growing up, and I’d invite them over and they’d all just grab banjos, mandolins or guitars. And basically the first year of this band was just that, us messing around at backyard gatherings and family barbeques.”

Later that summer, Adams says, the group lucked into a small tour that landed in Salt Lake City and served as the catalyst to write a couple new tunes. Moonsville Collective, as it had been dubbed, also hurried to cut a five-song EP before the jaunt.

They find the rushed recording comical now: “I think you could only hear it out of one speaker – it wasn’t even in stereo,” Welch adds with a laugh.

The Collective stepped up with its next release, boasting six original tunes and four covers. “Live in the Studio” was written and tracked the following November at Ear Witness Studios in Whittier. The album was a mix of songs each member had brought to the table from previous projects and was completed in a day.

Meanwhile, Moonsville began to build local buzz by picking up random gigs, anything from birthday parties and tequila tastings to spots on local producer Sean Rosenthal’s Kings Inn showcases Tuesday nights at Memphis in Costa Mesa.

On Jan. 19, the band issued its first proper album, Cradle to the Grave. This time all the material is fresh, Adams says, and more closely reflects the ensemble’s true nature. Much like the laid-back, everyone-join-in vibe the group has become so well known for live, the studio performances capture that same toe-tapping, sing-along effect.

“That’s just what we do,” Martin says. “I think it’s the kind of music that people just didn’t know they liked.

“You go to a lot of shows in Orange County and there are people our age that are standing there with their arms crossed in the back of the room. I think you have to be some strange breed to look up onto a stage and see people having fun and not want to participate or at least put a smile on your face when you see a lot of good energy coming from something.

“Most of the people that come to our shows or that we surround ourselves with would at least take some part, move around and maybe take their hands out of their armpits. When we play, we drop everything in our lives and we have fun.”

Moonsville Collective is up for best country/Americana category at March’s OC Music Awards, alongside newcomers Alabaster Stones, last year’s best new artist winners Jeramiah Red and local staples Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys and Billy Kernkamp and the Brides. As for competing in the showcase series, they say the evening was much less about coming out on top and more about supporting and bringing attention to the local scene.

“We’ve developed so many friendships this year with other bands and promoters that are in this industry that believe in the same things that we do,” Martin says. “The competition part – it really doesn’t mean that much to us. It’s not about winning. It’s just about having a good time.”

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